I was wondering if anyone knew whether or not the Carefree Awning or ANY Awning was standard on the Argosy? Mine is a 1972, 26.' There is a shredded Carefree awning on it. The awning arms are good. I prefer rope and pole awnings. The only drawback I can see with changing to the rope and pole is the awning rails seems pretty high off the ground. Any thoughts?

I don't think any Argosy had a standard awning. All were optional. I believe a lot of the optional ones were Carefree of Colorado, but I am only operating on what I have seen on older unrestored ones. I am sure Zip Dee's were available, but the metal cover was in contrast to the painted Argosy.

I have a Carefree on mine. I also have the benefit of most of the original owner's paperwork so I know he bought the awning after he bought the trailer, from a different vendor, so it definitely wasn't standard in '75.

Lots of people badmouth the Carefree, but it's a tough sucker. The arms have thicker walls and a bigger cross section than Zip-Dee arms so it would take a lot to bend one, though of course the attachment to the skin of the trailer is essentially the same, so that's no better or worse. Once I set it up and furled it a few times and learned how it works, I don't think it's any more fiddly than a Zip-Dee, though if I had none I'd buy a Zip-Dee for their legendary customer service.

If you're going to use the existing awning rail for a rope-and-pole awning, you'll probably need to take a ladder or two in your awning setup kit. If you're very tall you can probably touch the end of the rail standing in the doorway but it would literally be a stretch.

Thanks for the answer idroba. I think I'm going with the Zip Dee. I just wonder how difficult it will be to lower the awning rail. Maybe I'll just remove the old rail and get a new one because it's covered with goop. It looks like someone was trying to make it stronger or repair a leak. The rail seems so high up. It's located approximately 2 feet above the windows on the roof curve.

The rail is high for an arm awning so that the fabric can clear the door and still be able to slope downward. If you're going with zip dee call their customer service before you move or remove the awning rail and see if they can use the same one in the same location.

I would agree, don't move the awning rail unless you really have to. They are in a standard location, and all Airstreams and Argosy's came with them (the rail) as standard equipment. So any awning should fit the original rail.

The roll-up awnings that we sometimes take for granted today were a comparative newcomer to the RV world in the 1970s. If my notes are correct, the first roll-up awnings were offered in about 1959. They were a dealer installed option on my 1964 Overlander. Prior to about 1980, there were several manufacturers who offered roll-up awnings with arms configured for Airstreams. The makers included A & E (now a part of Dometic), Carefree of Colorado, ZipDee and at least one or two others that were not such major players.

During the 1990s, the problem was that ZipDee was the only manufacturer who offered new roll-up awnings with arms configured for Airstream/Argosy trailers. Those of us who had Vintage Airstream/Argosy travel trailers with a similar vintage non ZipDee awning often heard a familiar refrain when seeking parts for the arms (particularly the upper sections bent to the angle of the upper curve) . . . "we haven't made parts for those awnings for years, and we do not offer awnings that will fit your Airstream/Argosy." I understand that this has changed in recent years with some of ZipDee's competitors now offering roll-up awnings for Airstreams again . . . I don't know how compatible the arms would be with the radius curves on Vintage Airstreams.

I didn't have the opportunity of seeing many Argosys during my early camping days. My suspicion is that many of the original owners may have utilized "rope and pole" awnings that weren't self-storing. Particularly with the Argosy, the expense of a roll-up awning when new may not have seemed practical since the Argosy was intended as a more economically priced introductory travel trailer for those aspiring to an Airstream. I am still awaiting the day when I can justify the expense of a ZipDee for my Minuet.

I got an unexpected, but nice surprise this afternoon, when I unzipped the little bag along the roof edge of my argosy. There is a nice striped awning with manual poles. It seems to be in pretty good shape.
I have a few questions...
1. How do you extend the legs? There is a plastic slide, but I don't know which way to slide it.
2. Can the fabric be replaced? It looks good... but is 40 yrs old...